Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02293869 2000-O1-04
PORTABLE TERMINAL WITH ADVERTISEMENT MEDIUM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a portable terminal
with an advertisement medium, for use as a portable terminal
with a display unit such as an existing portable telephone
set, a PHS terminal, a portable game machine, or a PDA (Per-
sonal Digital Assistant).
Description of the Related Art:
Recently, there have been used portable terminals with
a display unit such as existing portable telephone sets, PHS
terminals, portable game machines, or PDAs having an elec-
tronic note pad function.
Such portable terminals have a computer and store ap-
plication software (hereinafter referred to as " main-
purpose application software" ) that is run by the computer
for performing various functions.
Almost all portable terminals with a display unit in-
corporate a real-time clock that is operated by a built-in
cell even when the power supply of the portable terminals is
turned off. When the main-purpose application software whi-
ch is related to telephone, communications, games, sched-
ules, etc. is not executed by the computer, the portable
terminals display a clock and a calendar in a clock and cal-
endar mode.
FIGS. 11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings show exam-
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ples of displayed images in the clock and calendar mode.
FIG. 11 shows a displayed image of " 20th Sept., 02 h, 38 m,
37 s" on a liquid-crystal display screen of a portable pe-
dometer 602. FIG. 12 shows a displayed image of
" 1998/09/20 02:43" on a liquid-crystal display screen 606
of a portable telephone set 604.
On many conventional portable terminals with a display
unit, while the main-purpose application software is being
executed, images related to the main-purpose application
software are displayed on the display screen. However, when
the main-purpose application software is not executed, a
clock (time) and a calendar are displayed on the display
screen.
In recent years, technological advances of display
units, particularly, liquid-crystal display units, allow
large-size liquid-crystal display panels (hence screens) and
color liquid-crystal display panels to be available at low
prices.
However, since the amount of information required in
the clock and calendar mode is limited, the conventional
portable terminals do not sufficiently utilize display re-
sources including the color display capability and size of
recent display units.
Even though the display units have improved display and
color display capabilities, the level of performance re-
quired by the clock and calendar mode substantially remains
unchanged. Therefore, the displayed image in the clock and
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calendar mode gives the user an unbalanced or insufficient
impression in view of the advances of images displayed when
the main-purpose application software.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a portable terminal with an advertisement medium,
which is capable of performing new functions, not available
heretofore, for displaying images in a clock and calendar
mode.
According to the present invention, a portable terminal
with an advertisement medium function has display control
means for displaying, on a display screen, advertisement in-
formation and display information based on application soft-
ware executed by a computer.
Therefore, the portable terminal also functions as an
advertisement medium.
The application software may include at least enter-
tainment-related software, so that the portable terminal
provides an increased entertaining capability.
According to the present invention, a portable terminal
with an advertisement medium function has display control
means for displaying, on a display screen, advertisement in-
formation and time information based on a real-time clock.
Since the advertisement information is displayed simul-
taneously with time information which draws much attention
of the user, i.e., which is frequently viewed by the user,
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the portable terminal can function as a highly effective ad-
vertisement medium.
The advertisement information is inputted by a communi-
cation input unit and displayed on the display screen.
Therefore, the advertisement information can be updated.
The communication input unit may comprise at least one,
at least two, or all of radio wave inputting means, infrared
information inputting means, and a physical connector. An
optimum communication input unit may be provided depending
on the cost of the personal terminal or needs of the user.
When a plurality of pieces of advertisement information
inputted from the communication input unit are stored as da-
to in the data storing memory, the display control means
displays the plurality of pieces of advertisement informa-
tion stored in the data storing memory on the display screen
according to a given rule. Thus, the plurality of pieces of
advertisement information can selectively be displayed on
the display screen.
The given rule may be either a rule for taking out and
displaying newly received advertisement information, a rule
for displaying advertisement information a certain number of
times and then displaying next advertisement information a
certain number of times, a rule for displaying advertisement
information for a certain period of time and then displaying
next advertisement information for a certain period of time,
or a rule for allowing the user to select preferred adver-
tisement information based on a control action made via the
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manual controller. One of these rules may be selected by
the user.
When advertisement information inputted from the commu
nication input unit is supplied as data in a working memory,
the display control means displays the advertisement infor
mation supplied to the working memory substantially on a
real-time basis. The advertisement information can thus be
transmitted immediately to the user who is watching the dis-
play screen.
If advertisement information inputted from the communi-
cation input unit as data comprises image information and
sound information, the image information and the sound in-
formation may be stored in the data storing memory and syn-
chronously displayed on the display screen and outputted
from the sound outputting means. Inasmuch as an advertise-
ment is given simultaneously as an image and sound, the ad-
vertisement information can be appealed more efficiently to
the user.
The display control means may comprise means for dis-
playing the advertisement information on the display screen
at all times or for particular times by measuring the real-
time clock. Such particular times may be selected by the
user depending on the preference or the like of the user.
Advertisement information may be controlled by the com-
puter so as to be inputted as data from the communication
input unit when a certain one of the plurality of pieces of
application software is activated or neither one of the plu-
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rality of pieces of application software is executed. Since
the inputting of advertisement information is not caused as
an interrupt while application software is being executed,
the user can smoothly execute application software.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages
of the present invention will become more apparent from the
following description when taken in conjunction with the ac-
companying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the
present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a plan view of an entertainment apparatus
which incorporates a portable terminal according to the pre-
sent invention;
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the entertainment apparatus,
showing slots thereof;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the entertainment appa-
ratus;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a specific arrangement of
major electric components of the entertainment apparatus;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the portable terminal;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the portable terminal;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the portable terminal
with a lid being open;
FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the portable ter-
urinal;
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a specific arrangement of
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major electric components of the portable terminal;
FIG. 10 is a view illustrative of clock information and
advertisement information that are simultaneously displayed
on a display screen of the portable terminal;
FIG. 11 is a front elevational view showing an example
of a displayed image on a conventional pedometer; and
FIG. 12 is a front elevational view showing an example
of a displayed image on a conventional portable telephone
set.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
An embodiment of a portable terminal according to the
present invention will be described below with reference to
FIGS. 1 through 10.
FIG. 1 shows in plan an entertainment apparatus 1 to
which a portable terminal 100 according to the present in-
vention is detachably connected.
The entertainment apparatus 1 reads a program recorded
in an optical disk or the like, for example, and executes a
game, for example, based on the program depending on com-
mands from the user, e.g., the game player. The execution
of the game mainly represents controlling the progress of
the game and the display of images and the generation of
sounds.
The entertainment apparatus 1 has a rectangular casing
2 which houses a disk loading unit 3 substantially centrally
therein for loading an optical disk such as a CD-ROM or the
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like as a recording medium for supplying an application pro-
gram recorded therein for a video game or the like. The
casing 2 supports a reset switch 4 for resetting a program
which is being presently executed, a power supply switch 5,
a disk control switch 6 for controlling the loading of the
optical disk, and two slots 7A, 7B.
The entertainment apparatus 1 may be supplied with the
application program via a communication link, rather than
being supplied from the optical disk as the recording me-
dium.
A manual controller 20 for supplying user's commands is
connected to the entertainment apparatus 1.
Two manual controllers 20 may be connected respectively
to the slots 7A, 7B allow two users or game players to play
a competition game, for example. A memory card which has
conventionally been used or a portable terminal 100 accord-
ing to the embodiment of the present invention may also be
inserted into the slots 7A, 7B. While the two slots 7A, 7B
are shown in FIG. 1, the entertainment apparatus 1 may have
more or less than two slots.
The manual controller 20 has first and second control
pads 21, 22, a left button 23L, a right button 23R, a start
button 24, a selector button 25, analog control pads 31, 32,
a mode selector switch 33 for selecting control modes for
the analog control pads 31, 32, and an indicator 34 for in-
dicating a selected control mode. The manual controller 20
also has a vibration imparting mechanism (not shown) dis-
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posed therein for imparting vibrations to the manual con-
trolley 20 depending on how the video game proceeds. The
manual controller 20 is electrically connected to the slot
7B in the casing 2 by a connector 26.
FIG. 2 shows the slots 7A, 7B which are defined in a
front panel of the casing 2 of the entertainment apparatus
1.
Each of the slots 7A, 7B has upper and lower units.
Specifically, the slots 7A, 7B have respective memory card
insertion units (also referred to as portable terminal in-
sertion units) 8A, 8B as their upper units for inserting a
memory card 10 (see FIG. 4) or the portable terminal 100
therein and respective controller connectors (hacks) 9A, 9B
as their lower units for connection to a connection terminal
(connector) 26 of the manual controller 20.
The memory card insertion units 8A, 8B have respective
insertion holes (slots) that are of a horizontally elongate
rectangular shape. These insertion slots have lower oppo-
site corners round in contrast to upper opposite corners
thereof so that the memory card 10 will not be inserted into
the memory card insertion units 8A, 8B in the wrong orienta-
tion. The memory card insertion units 8A, 8B also have
shutters for protecting connection terminals disposed there-
in for electric connection.
The controller connectors 9A, 9B also have respective
insertion holes (slots) that are of a horizontally elongate
rectangular shape. These insertion slots have lower oppo-
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site corners round in contrast to upper opposite corners
thereof so that the connector terminal 26 of the manual con-
troller 20 will not be connected to the controller connec-
tors 9A, 9B in the wrong orientation. The insertion holes
of the controller connectors 9A, 9B are different in shape
from the insertion holes of the memory card insertion units
8A, 8B so that the memory card 10 will not be inserted into
the insertion holes of the controller connectors 9A, 9B.
In FIG. 3, the portable terminal 100 is inserted in the
memory card insertion unit 8A in the slot 7A which is de-
fined in the front panel of the entertainment apparatus 1.
A specific arrangement of the entertainment apparatus 1
will be described below with reference to FIG. 4. As shown
in FIG. 4, the entertainment apparatus 1 comprises a control
system 50 including a central processing unit (CPU) 51 and
its peripheral devices, a graphic system 60 including a
graphic processing unit (GPU) 62 for generating and storing
image data in a frame buffer 63, a sound system 70 including
a sound processing unit (SPU) 71 for generating music sounds
and sound effects, an optical disk controller 80 for con-
trolling an optical disk in which application programs are
recorded, a communication controller 90 for controlling sig-
nals from the manual controller 20 which enter instructions
from the user, and data supplied to and from a memory card
10 which stores game settings, and a bus BUS to which the
control system 50, the graphic system 60, the sound system
70, the optical disk controller 80, and the communication
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controller 90 are connected.
The control system 50 comprises a CPU 51, a peripheral
device controller 52 for controlling interrupts and direct
memory access (DMA) data transfer, a main memory 53 compris-
ing a random-access memory (RAM), and a read-only memory
(ROM) 54 which stores various programs such as an operating
system for managing the main memory 53, the graphic system
60, the sound system 70, etc. The main memory 53 is a memo-
ry capable of storing a program which is being executed.
The CPU 51 controls the entertainment apparatus 1 in
its entirety by executing the operating system stored in the
ROM 54. The CPU 51 comprises a 32-bit RISC-CPU, for exam-
ple.
When the entertainment apparatus 1 is turned on, the
CPU 51 executes the operating system stored in the ROM 54 to
start controlling the graphic system 60, the sound system
70, etc. For example, when the operating system is exe-
cuted, the CPU 51 initializes the entertainment apparatus 1
in its entirety for confirming its operation, and thereafter
controls the optical disc controller 80 to execute an appli-
cation program recorded in the optical disk.
As the application program is executed, the CPU 51 con-
trols the graphic system 60, the sound system 70, etc. de-
pending on commands entered from the user for thereby con-
trolling the display of images and the generation of music
sounds and sound effects.
The graphic system 60 comprises a geometry transfer en-
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gine (GTE) 61 for performing coordinate transformations and
other processing, a GPU 62 for generating image data accord-
ing to instructions from the CPU 51, a frame buffer 63 for
storing image data generated by the GPU 62, and an image de-
coder 64 for decoding image data compressed and encoded by
an orthogonal transform such as a discrete cosine transform.
The GTE 61 has a parallel arithmetic mechanism for per-
forming a plurality of arithmetic operations parallel to
each other, and can perform coordinate transformations,
light source calculations, matrixes, or vectors at a high
speed in response to a request from the CPU 51. Specifi-
cally, the GTE 61 can calculate the coordinates of a maximum
of 1.5 million polygons per second for a flat shading proc-
ess to plot one triangular polygon with one color, for exam-
ple. With the GTE 61, the entertainment apparatus 1 is able
to reduce the burden on the CPU 51 and perform high-speed
coordinate calculations.
According to an image generating instruction from the
CPU 51, the GPU 62 generates and stores the data of a poly-
gon or the like in the frame buffer 63. The GPU 62 is capa-
ble of generating and storing a maximum of 360 thousand
polygons per second.
The frame buffer 63 comprises a dual-port RAM, and is
capable of simultaneously storing image data generated by
the GPU 62 or image data transferred from the main memory
53, and reading image data for display.
The frame buffer 63 has a storage capacity of 1 Mbytes,
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for example, and is handled as a 16-bit matrix made up of a
horizontal row of 1024 pixels and a vertical column of 512
pixels. The frame buffer 63 has a display area for storing
image data to be outputted as video output data, a CLUT
(color look-up table) area for storing a color look-up table
which will be referred to by the GPU 62 when it generates a
polygon or the like, and a texture area for storing texture
data to be subjected to coordinate transformations when a
polygon is generated and mapped onto a polygon generated by
the GPU 62. The CLUT area and the texture area are dynami-
cally varied as the display area is varied.
The GPU 62 can perform, in addition to the flat shading
process, a Gouraud shading process for determining colors in
polygons by interpolating intensities from the vertices of
the polygons, and a texture mapping process for mapping tex-
tures stored in the texture areas onto polygons. For per-
forming the Gouraud shading process or texture mapping proc-
ess, the GTE 61 can perform coordinate calculations for a
maximum of about 500,000 polygons per second.
The image decoder 64 is controlled by the CPU 51 to de-
code image data of a still or moving image stored in the
main memory 53, and store the decoded image into the main
memory 53.
Image data reproduced by the image decoder 64 is trans-
ferred to the frame buffer 63 by the GPU 62, and can be used
as a background for an image plotted by the GPU 62.
The sound system 70 comprises an SPU 71 for generating
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music sounds, sound effects, etc. based on instructions from
the CPU 51, a sound buffer 72 for storing waveform data from
the SPU 71, and a speaker 73 for outputting music sounds,
sound effects, etc. generated by the SPU 71.
The SPU 71 has an ADPCM (adaptive differential PCM)
function for reproducing 16-bit sound data which has been
encoded as 4-bit differential sound data by ADPCM, a repro-
ducing function for reproducing the waveform data stored in
the sound buffer 72 to generate sound effects, etc., and a
modulating function for modulating and reproducing the wave-
form data stored in the sound buffer 72.
The sound system 70 can be used as a sampling sound
source which generates music sounds, sound effects, etc.
based on the waveform data stored in the sound buffer 72 ac-
cording to commands from the CPU 51.
The optical disk controller 80 comprises an optical
disk drive 81 for reproducing application programs and data
recorded on an optical disk such as a CD-ROM or the like, a
decoder 82 for decoding programs and data that are recorded
with an error correcting code added thereto, and a buffer 83
for temporarily storing data read from the optical disk
drive 81 so as to allow the data from the optical disk to be
read at a high speed. An auxiliary CPU 84 is connected to
the decoder 82.
Sound data recorded on the optical disk which is read
by the optical disk drive 81 includes PCM data converted
from analog sound signals, in addition to the ADPCM data.
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The ADPCM data, which is recorded as 4-bit differential data
of 16-bit digital data, is decoded by the decoder 82, sup-
plied to the SPU 71, converted thereby into analog data, and
applied to drive the speaker 73. The PCM data, which is re-
corded as 16-bit digital data, is decoded by the decoder 82
and then applied to drive the speaker 73.
The communication controller 90 comprises a communica-
tion control mechanism 91 for controlling communication with
the CPU 51 via the bus BUS. The communication control
mechanism 91 has the controller connectors 9A, 9B to which
the manual controller 20 for entering commands from the user
is connected, and the memory card insertion units 8A, 8B for
receiving a memory card 10 as an auxiliary memory device for
storing game settings, etc. and the portable terminal 100.
The manual controller 20 connected to one of the con-
troller connectors 9A, 9B has 16 command keys, for example,
for entering commands from the user, and transmits statuses
of the command keys about 60 times per second to the commu-
nication control mechanism 91 by way of synchronous communi-
cation according to an instruction from the communication
control mechanism 91. The communication control mechanism
91 transmits the statuses of the command keys to the CPU 51.
In this manner, commands from the user are applied to
the CPU 51, which carries out a process according to the
commands based on the game program being executed.
A large amount of image data needs to be transferred at
high speed between the main memory 53, the GPU 62, the image
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decoder 64, and the decoder 82 for reading a program, dis-
playing an image, or generating and storing image data.
In the entertainment apparatus 1, data are transferred
directly between the main memory 53, the GPU 62, the image
decoder 64, and the decoder 82 according to the DMA data
transfer under the control of the peripheral device control-
ler 52, rather than the CPU 51. Therefore, the burden on
the CPU 51 can be reduced for data transfer, and high-speed
data transfer can be achieved between the main memory 53,
the GPU 62, the image decoder 64, and the decoder 82.
When setting data of a game being executed need to be
stored, the CPU 51 transmits the setting data to the commu-
nication control mechanism 91, which writes the transmitted
setting data into the memory card 10 or the portable termi-
nal 100 which is inserted in the memory card insertion unit
8A or 8B.
The communication control mechanism 91 has a built-in
protection circuit for protection against electric break-
down. The memory card 10 and the portable terminal 100 are
separate from the bus BUS, and can be connected and discon-
nected while the entertainment apparatus 1 is being ener-
gized. Therefore, when the memory card 10 and the portable
terminal 100 suffer a storage capacity shortage, a new memo-
ry card or terminal can be connected without having to turn-
ing off the entertainment apparatus 1. Consequently, any
game data that need to be backed up can be stored in a new
memory card connected to the entertainment apparatus 1,
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without the danger of being lost.
As shown in FIG. 4, the entertainment apparatus 1 fur-
ther includes a parallel I/O interface (PIO) 96 and a serial
I/O interface (SIO) 97 which serve to connect external ex-
tended devices to the entertainment apparatus 1.
The portable terminal 100 according to the embodiment
of the present invention will be described below. It is as-
sumed that the portable terminal 100 will be used as a slave
unit connected to the entertainment apparatus 1 which serves
as a master unit.
The portable terminal 100 is inserted into one of the
memory card insertion units 8A, 8B in the slots 7A, 7B of
the entertainment apparatus 1, and can be used as a memory
card inherent in the connected manual controllers 20. For
example, if two users or game players play a game on the en-
tertainment apparatus 1, then two terminals 100 are connect-
ed to store game results of the respective users.
In order to electrically connect power supply terminals
and ground terminals earlier than the other terminals when
the memory card 10 and the portable terminal 100 are insert-
ed into the memory card insertion units 8A, 8B, those power
supply terminals and ground terminals of connectors of the
memory card 10 and the portable terminal 100 are made longer
than the other terminals for the purpose of achieving safety
and stability of electric operation. Corresponding connec-
for conductors of the memory card insertion units 8A, 8B may
be made longer than the other connector conductors, or both
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power supply terminals and ground terminals of connectors of
the memory card 10 and the portable terminal 100 and the
connector conductors of the memory card insertion units 8A,
8B may be made longer than the other terminals and connector
conductors. Furthermore, the connectors of the memory card
and the portable terminal 100 may be asymmetrically
shaped in their longitudinal direction for preventing them-
selves from being inserted in the wrong direction.
As shown in FIGS. 5 through 8, the portable terminal
10 100 has a housing 101 which supports a manual control pad
120 having one or more direction buttons 121 and a decision
button 122 for entering events and making various selec-
tions, a color display unit 130 having a display screen 128
comprising a TFT-type color liquid crystal display (LCD)
unit or the like, and a window 140 for wireless communica-
tion such as infrared communication with a wireless communi-
cation command unit (described later).
The housing 101 comprises an upper shell lOla and a
lower shell lOlb, and houses a board 151 which supports
memory devices, etc. thereon. The housing 101 is shaped so
as to be insertable into either one of the slots 7A, 7B in
the casing 2 of the entertainment apparatus 1. The housing
101 has a connector 150 on the side of one end thereof which
includes a rectangular window.
The window 140 is mounted on a substantially semicircu-
lar end of the housing 101 remote from the connector 150.
The color display unit 130 occupies a substantially half
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area of the upper shell lOla of the housing 101, and is
positioned near the window 140.
The manual control pad 120 occupies the other substan-
tially half area of the upper shell lOla, and is positioned
remotely from the window 140. The manual control pad 120
comprises a substantially square lid 110 that is angularly
movably supported on the housing 101 and supports thereon
the direction buttons 121 and the decision button 122, and
switch pressers 102, 103 positioned in an area of the hous-
ing 101 which can be opened and closed by the lid 110.
The direction buttons 121 and the decision button I22
extend through the lid 110 from its upper surface to its
lower surface. The direction buttons 121 and the decision
button 122 are supported on the lid 110 for movement into
and out of the upper surface of the lid 110.
The switch pressers 102, 103 have respective pressing
elements supported on the housing 101 for movement into and
out of the upper surface of the housing 101. When one of
the pressing elements is pressed from above, it presses a
corresponding a pressure switch such as a diaphragm switch,
for example, mounted on the board 151 in the housing 101.
With the lid 110 closed, the switch pressers 102, 103
are held in vertical alignment with the direction buttons
121 and the decision button 122, respectively. Therefore,
while the lid 110 is being closed over the housing 101, when
the direction buttons 121 and the decision button 122 are
pressed from above into the upper surface of the lid 110,
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the direction buttons 121 and the decision button 122 cause
the pressing elements of the corresponding switch pressers
102, 103 to press corresponding pressure switches in the
housing 101.
As shown in FIG. 8, power and signal terminals 152 are
mounted on the board 151 and disposed in the window of the
connector 150.
The connector 150 has a shape and dimensions that are
identical to those of the memory card 10 used in the enter-
tainment apparatus 1.
An arrangement of major components of the portable in-
formation terminal 100 will be described below with refer-
ence to FIG. 9.
The portable terminal 100 has a controller 300 which
comprises a microcomputer or the like including a CPU 302
for controlling the overall system of the portable terminal
100.
The CPU 302 manages a system bus 304 to which various
blocks of the portable terminal 100 are connected.
The portable terminal 100 has three communication input
routes to which advertisement information or the like can be
inputted as data.
The first communication route comprises a reception an-
tenna 306, an RF processor 308, a decoder 310, and a serial-
to-parallel interface (SPI) 312 for converting a serial sig-
nal to a parallel signal. A radio wave representing adver-
tisement information sent from a radio station (not shown)
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and received by the reception antenna 306 is converted from
an RF signal to an IF signal by the RF processor 308, and
the IF signal is demodulated thereby. The demodulated sig-
nal is then converted by the decoder 310 to serial data,
which is converted by the SPI 312 to parallel data that is
outputted to the system bus 304. The reception antenna 306
and the RF processor 308 jointly make up a radio wave input-
ting means.
When advertisement information or the like is inputted
as data via the first communication route, the portable ter-
urinal 100 is not connected to the entertainment apparatus 1,
i.e., is independent of the entertainment apparatus 1, e.g.,
is carried by the user.
The second communication route is a route along which
communication data can be inputted and outputted, and com-
prises an infrared interface 316 which is a module according
to IrDA (Infrared Data Association) standards, with infra-
red-emitting and -detecting diodes 314, 315 integrally
mounted thereon, and a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver
Transmitter) 318 as an interface for asynchronous data
transfer. Infrared rays are received and sent along the
second communication route when they are inputted from and
outputted to an external source by the infrared interface
316, and converted from a parallel signal to a serial signal
and from a serial signal to a parallel signal and inputted
to and outputted from the system bus 304. The infrared in-
terface 316 serves as an infrared information input-
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ting/outputting means.
When advertisement information or the like is inputted
as data via the second communication route, the portable
terminal 100 is not connected to the entertainment apparatus
1, i.e., is independent of the entertainment apparatus 1,
e.g., is carried by the user.
The third communication route is a route along which
communication data can be inputted and outputted, and com-
prises a connector (physical connector) 150 for use in mak-
ing a physical connection and a serial-to-parallel interface
(SPI) 320. The connector 150 is connected to either one of
the portable terminal insertion units 8A, 8B in the slots
7A, 7B of the entertainment apparatus 1. Serial data of in-
formation including advertisement information read from an
optical disk such as a CD-ROM or the like by the optical
disk drive 81 is supplied via the connector 150 to the SPI
320, from which the serial data is outputted as parallel
data to the system bus 304.
For displaying an image on the display screen 128 of
the color display unit 130 of the portable terminal 100, a
GDC (Graphic Display Controller) 324 as an image processing
means exchanges data with a frame memory 326 connected to
the GDC 324, and controls a LCDC (Liquid Crystal Display
Controller) 328 as a liquid crystal display unit controller
(liquid crystal display unit control means) to display an
image on the display screen 128 of the color display unit
130 which comprises a TFT-type color liquid crystal display
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unit.
For outputting sound (including music) from a speaker
330 as a sound outputting means, a DAC (Digital-to-Analog
Converter) 332 receives digital sound data from the system
bus 304, converts the digital sound data to analog sound
data, and outputs the analog sound data via the speaker 330.
To the system bus 304, there are connected a working
memory 334 as a memory means which comprises an SRAM for
temporarily storing data and calculated results required by
the processing of the CPU 302, and a data memory 336 as an
external memory means via a memory interface 337.
A ROM 335 with a built-in OSD (On Screen Display) func-
tion (also referred to as an OSDROM), which may comprise a
flash memory, for example, is connected to the system bus
304. The ROM 335 stores a control program such as a kernel
or the like. A real-time clock (RTC) 338 having a calendar
and clock function is also connected to the system bus 304.
The manual controller 120 is connected via a switch in-
terface (SWIF) 340 to the system bus 304. The switch inter-
face 340 also functions as an interrupt generating means.
Electric energy is supplied from a battery 342 to the
controller 300. Therefore, while the portable terminal 100
is being independent of the entertainment apparatus 1, the
portable terminal 100 can execute application software
stored in the data memory 336. The data and application
software stored in the data memory 336 are backed up by a
nonvolatile memory or the like when the power supply of the
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portable terminal 100 is turned off.
In FIG. 9, the CPU 302, the working memory 334, the
OSDROM 335, and the data memory 336 operate as a computer
which performs calculations and data processing according to
a program (including application software). The GDC 324 and
the frame memory 326 operate as a display control means for
displaying advertisement information, time information, or
display information based on the application software ex-
ecuted by the computer, on the display screen 128 of the
display unit 130.
Data display or sound generation relative to advertise-
ment information obtained via the first, second, and third
communication routes will be described below.
The portable terminal 100 has a function to display ad-
vertisement information received as data, together with
clock and calendar information, on the display screen 128 of
the display unit 130 in a clock display mode. In this
sense, the portable terminal 100 may be referred to as a
portable terminal with an advertisement medium.
Data representing advertisement information may be data
of any contents, e.g., compressed still images (JPEG or the
like), moving images or the like (MPEG or the like), anima-
tion, two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics, log
marks of manufacturers and brands, and letters and symbols
in prepared fonts. If data representing advertisement in-
formation is two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics
data, then in order to save a data capacity, the portable
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terminal 100 may be arranged as a stepwise reception system
for receiving image data (texture data) at first and then
receiving a primitive list and commands.
Advertisement information obtained via the first, sec-
ond, and third communication routes is usually stored in a
predetermined area in the external data memory 336 via the
system bus 304.
Upon elapse of a certain period of time after the user
operates or does not operate the manual controller 120 while
the portable terminal 100 is displaying, on the display
screen 128, display information based on application soft-
ware executed by the CPU 302, e.g., entertainment software
including game software or the like, the CPU 302 places the
portable terminal 100 into the clock display mode. In the
clock display mode, the CPU 302 refers to the real-time
clock 338.
Substantially simultaneously when the CPU 302 reads
clock and calendar display data from the real-time clock
338, the CPU 302 reads advertisement data stored in the data
memory 336, and the GDC 324 and the frame memory 326 operate
with each other to combine the clock and calendar display
data and the advertisement data in the frame memory 326, and
display the combined data on the display screen 128 of the
color display unit 130.
FIG. 10 shows, by way of example, advertisement infor-
mation display (also referred to as advertisement display or
advertisement information) 350, calendar display (also
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referred to as calendar information) 352 (" 1998.12.31 THR"
in FIG. 10), and time display (also referred to as time in-
formation) 354 (" 12:50" in FIG. 10) that are made on the
display screen 128 of the color display unit 130 based on
the combination of the clock and calendar display data and
the advertisement data.
Since the display screen 128 simultaneously display the
calendar information 352, the time information 354, and the
advertisement information 350 based on the real-time clock
which draws much attention of the user, the displayed infor-
mation is highly effective as an advertisement.
The advertisement information 350 is entered via the
first, second, and third communication routes and then dis-
played on the display screen 128, the advertisement informa-
tion 350 that is usually required to be highly fresh can ea-
sily be updated.
Inasmuch as the first, second, and third communication
routes may receive radio wave data, infrared data, and data
from the physical connector, either one of these data may be
selected and used according to the intention of the adver-
tiser or the user.
Not only one piece of advertisement information, but
also a plurality of pieces of advertisement information may
be stored as data in the data memory 336, so that the CPU
302, the GDC 324, and the frame memory 326 will select the
plurality of pieces of advertisement information and display
them on the display screen 128 according to a given rule
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given below.
The given rule may be either a rule for taking out and
displaying newly received advertisement information on the
display screen 128 {so-called a last-in first-out (LIFO)
rule}, a rule for displaying advertisement information a
certain number of times and then displaying next advertise-
ment information a certain number of times, a rule for dis-
playing advertisement information for a certain period of
time and then displaying next advertisement information for
a certain period of time, or a rule for allowing the user to
select preferred advertisement information based on a con-
trol action made via the manual controller 120.
If real-time advertisement information is important,
then when advertisement information is inputted as data into
the working memory 334 via one of the first, second, and
third communication routes, the advertisement information
inputted into the working memory 334 may be displayed on the
display screen 128 substantially on a real-time basis. The
advertisement information can thus be transmitted immedi-
ately to the user who is watching the display screen 128.
The user may use the manual controller 120 to change to such
a real-time display process.
If advertisement information inputted as data comprises
image information and sound information, then the image in-
formation and the sound information may be stored in the da-
to memory 336 and synchronously displayed on the display
screen 128 and outputted from the speaker 330, or stored in
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the working memory 334 and synchronously displayed on the
display screen 128 and outputted from the speaker 330. In
this case, an advertisement is given in the form of an image
and sound, the advertisement information can be appealed
more efficiently to the user.
The advertisement information 350 may be displayed on
the display screen 128 at all times or for particular times
(e.g., for 1 minute in every 15 minutes) by measuring the
real-time clock 338. Such particular times may be selected
by the user depending on the preference or the like of the
user. The calendar information 352 and the time information
354 may be displayed in a semitransparent fashion, i.e., a
see-through fashion, and the advertisement information 350
may be displayed on the display screen 128 in its entirety.
Advertisement information may be controlled by the CPU
302 so as to be inputted from the first, second, and third
communication routes when a certain one of plural pieces of
application software stored in the data memory 336 is acti-
vated or neither one of the plural pieces of application
software is executed. In this manner, since the inputting
of advertisement information is not caused as an interrupt
while application software is being executed, advertisement
information is read into the working memory 334 or the data
memory 336 without being noticed by the user, and the user
can smoothly execute application software.
The portable terminal 100 described above is a portable
terminal that can be connected to the entertainment appara-
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tus 1. However, the present invention is not limited to the
portable terminal that can be connected to the entertainment
apparatus 1, but may be applied to all portable terminals
including a portable telephone set, a PHS terminal, a port-
s able game machine, a pedometer, and a PDA having an elec-
tronic note pad function (preferably a color display unit
such as a color liquid-crystal display unit or the like)
which are capable of displaying clock information such as
calendar information and/or time information.
The portable terminal 100 or other portable terminals
including a portable telephone set, a PHS terminal, a port-
able game machine, a pedometer, and a PDA are thus capable
of placing an advertisement on the display screen which
draws much attention of the user, i.e., which is frequently
viewed by the user, in order to recognize a time and a date.
Therefore, the portable terminal 100 or other portable ter-
urinals can be used as a highly effective advertisement medi-
um for advertisers.
The portable terminal capable of displaying advertise-
ments can effectively utilize display resources of the dis-
play screens of small-size liquid-crystal display units
which have improved capabilities including higher resolu-
tions, higher gradations and more colors, lower power re-
quirements, sharper images, and lower profiles.
Furthermore, the portable terminal allows contents sup-
pliers for distributing information or portable terminal
suppliers to obtain an advertisement income, which leads to
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a reduction in contents fees and portable terminal prices,
and hence provides an advertisement information providing
system that is highly convenient and economical for the
user.
According to the present invention, therefore, the
portable terminal can display advertisement information and
display information based on application software, and thus
can function as an advertisement medium.
Since an advertisement is also displayed simultaneously
in the clock and calendar mode, the portable terminal is
provided with an advertisement medium function which is a
new function that has not be available heretofore.
Although a certain preferred embodiment of the present
invention has been shown and described in detail, it should
be understood that various changes and modifications may be
made therein without departing from the scope of the append-
ed claims.
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